Blue Gate Farm News – Volume VII , Number 10 – August 5, 2008
In
this week’s box:
Beans:
Mixed (Carson & Empress) or Fortex (green)
Cipollini
Onions: Gold Coin
Tomatoes:
assorted (see 7/29 newsletter for descriptions)
For
those with the Egg option: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)
For
those with the Herb option: Basil: Lettuce Leaf, Mint & Lemon Thyme
Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Pasta with Tomato Raw Sauce
Rain this week: .3 ” (from 7/29 - 8/4)
What’s up on the farm?
A
beautiful dry week on the farm has allowed us to catch up on more of our
previously delayed work. There has been
much of digging of potatoes and garlic interspersed with vast amounts of tomato
maintenance. While the tomato crop
itself looks pretty good right now, the plants are showing a serious case of
blight, which is caused by the heavy rain splashing soil particles up on the
foliage. If left unchecked, this will bring
about an early end to the crop. In
conventional vegetable farming, the remedy for this problem is to douse the
plants with chemicals, but there are no safe, organic chemicals that we are comfortable
using. Our remedy is to prune all of the
affected foliage from each and every plant in an attempt to control the spread
of the disease. We are about half way
through the pruning chores and we are hopeful that we have gotten to the
majority of the plants in time, but already a few of the Mule Team plants have succumbed.
For now, the heavy pruning has left
long, leggy plants heavy with ripening fruit and only sporting small, healthy
green leaves on the tips of the branches. It makes the tomato patch look a bit
like Dr. Seuss’s garden.
We
mowed our primary hay field on Friday then on Sunday and Monday, the hottest
days so far this summer, we made and a modest number (160) of small square
bales.
In
addition to our regular weekly schedule, we added house guests to our
adventures this week. A long-time friend from Houston and her two elementary-aged
daughters made the long drive up for a visit. What fun to get to experience the farm through
the eyes of six and nine-year-old girls from the big city. Things will seem very quiet here without their
giggles and calls for Blue to come see some new thing they’ve found. I think Blue would have hopped right into
their car and headed back to
The
new item in the boxes today is the cipollini onions. These are wonderful, mild
onions that would be perfect roasted, but our favorite way to use them is in shish
kabobs, especially on the grill. The small tomatoes in the boxes would also be
a great addition. A note on the tomatoes, we are putting tomatoes with a range
of ripeness in your boxes these days. That should help you to stretch your
tomatoes out over the week. If you are unsure of the ripeness of some of the
more unusual colors, try just squeezing them gently. A ripe tomato will always
yield to gentle pressure.
Yet
again the boxes are a little on the light side this week. We’ll do our best to
get a fourth item into the boxes as we pack this afternoon, so if you notice
something not on the list in your box, just consider it a bonus.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean
Pasta With Tomato Raw Sauce
1 pound short cut pasta, such
as strozzapretti or casarecci
4 large or 6 medium heirloom
tomatoes (about 2 pounds), seeded and chopped
20 basil leaves, torn
10 sprigs tarragon,
leaves removed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive
oil (EVOO)
4 ounces ricotta salata
cheese, crumbled (or another dry cheese such as feta or goat)
Yields: 4 servings
Place a large pot of water over
high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add a generous amount
of salt and the pasta and cook until al dente according to package
directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water when you drain the
pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, add
the tomatoes, basil, tarragon, salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Using a
microplane or the fine side of a box grater, grate the garlic into the bowl.
Add the cooked pasta to the bowl
and drizzle with the EVOO. Add some of the reserved pasta water to create a
sauce and toss to combine.
Allow the pasta and tomatoes to
rest a few minutes before serving so the flavors have a chance to meld.
Top with crumbled ricotta salata
cheese and serve your favorite garlic bread alongside.
Recipe Source: Rachel
Ray Show <www.rachaelrayshow.com>